Back to the drawing board

[mcooke66]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Hmmm....

I think that I am not following you. And I am going to speak as an Engineer now. Regarding the screen contrast: if the science and the facts are telling you specific numbers about it, thing that you can measure and those are unquestionable, anything else is just a user's perception to me. Moreover, remember that in some of those firmware upgrades there is a psychological factor that can "creates" or "removes" some user's perceptions; even in terms of hardware, something as simple as a case color for the device can give you an illusion of a worse or better contrast without being a scientific fact.

My point was that tech specs do not necessarily have anything to do with user experience or translate to real functionality. The Pearl screen has a 50% improvement in contrast ratio, right. That is the fact that gets quoted all the time, I am not arguing that it is not technically true. That fact lead me to compare the 2 devices thinking I probably needed that 50% increase. The truth is that the spec did not translate into a 50% functional difference on the devices themselves. Quoting it because from an engineering perspective it is true does not matter when the actual user experience is much different. Restating the same tech spec that does not translate over and over just becomes part of the misinformation about the devices and the tech.

Yes it is users perception - That was exactly my point. What the user sees is more important than specifications. The specs help with advertising etc. but when they do not translate into a real functional improvement to the user then they are useless propaganda no matter how true they are from an engineering point.

I watched the upgrade before my eyes from firmware 1.4 to 1.5 the difference in clarity on the screen was obvious. I was not expecting it because that was not in the press release for 1.5. The only thing I wanted to see was page turns and organization and what I received was a firmware upgrade that really improved the readability of the older screen on the Nook. Now compared to K3 it is barely noticeable between the 2. That is also a fact because the only thing that really matters in the end is what the users experience is.

I write software and I learned a long time ago that producing a more powerful and technically superior User Interface means nothing if the actual users do not benefit from the technical advantages you produced. You can tell them it is better all day long but if that engineering improvement does not benefit their use cases, or worse has a negative impact then it is not an improvement for the user. However you can accurately state the technical specification that make the engineer in you convinced it is better.

[jocampo]

Hi mcooke66

Well, you are right, the technical point of view is one thing and the overall customer experience is another one. But I would like to say that overall, when you compare both devices the Kindle 3 gives you an awesome customer experience (talking about the feeling when using it, ergonomics, etc) It is light, can read a book for you, buttons are at both sides and downloads books in seconds. If that fits the bill to some and not others is more a personal thing than anything else but the Kindle success speaks for itself I think.

On my personal case I prefer the Kindle 3 over the Nook 1st generation (talking about customer experience, not book formats, etc, forget about it for a moment) because it feels better on my hands, reads better because the Pearl Screen (which is a fact, not a perception) and I like the button's layout.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Hi mcooke66

Well, you are right, the technical point of view is one thing and the overall customer experience is another one. But I would like to say that overall, when you compare both devices the Kindle 3 gives you an awesome customer experience (talking about the feeling when using it, ergonomics, etc) It is light, can read a book for you, buttons are at both sides and downloads books in seconds. If that fits the bill to some and not others is more a personal thing than anything else but the Kindle success speaks for itself I think.

On my personal case I prefer the Kindle 3 over the Nook 1st generation (talking about customer experience, not book formats, etc, forget about it for a moment) because it feels better on my hands, reads better because the Pearl Screen (which is a fact, not a perception) and I like the button's layout.

the nook had buttons on both sides long before the kindle 3 came out, some could argue the slight concave design along with the rubberized back is very ergonomic and a great feel in the hands. I know I loved it before I bought a cover. The nook also downloads books in seconds.
In fact all ereaders download books in seconds even the non wireless ones.

and this is a personal choice, but I would not want that kindle reading anything to me, I would think it would launch a Thermonuclear War, asking me "Do I want to Play a Game"

*ref. the creepy computer voice from War Games movie from the 80's*

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

2. Remember the DRM's EPub is no less restricted than Amazon's format. It doesn't matter that Epub is open if you are buying DRM'd epub.

Sorry for jumping in late on this. With respect, I would disagree that Adobe's DRM "is no less restricted" than Amazon's format. With Kindle books, you have to read them on Kindle readers or use Kindle software on your computer, phone or tablet. In contrast, the vast majority of other dedicated ereaders support Adobe's DRM, and Alkido (and perhaps some other software solutions) will support books using ADE regardless of where they are bought.

Both DRM's are restrictive, and in practice, most Kindle users will never notice their restrictions, but there are some real extra restrictions with the Kindle.

--
Bill

[mcooke66]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Hi mcooke66

Well, you are right, the technical point of view is one thing and the overall customer experience is another one. But I would like to say that overall, when you compare both devices the Kindle 3 gives you an awesome customer experience (talking about the feeling when using it, ergonomics, etc) It is light, can read a book for you, buttons are at both sides and downloads books in seconds. If that fits the bill to some and not others is more a personal thing than anything else but the Kindle success speaks for itself I think.

On my personal case I prefer the Kindle 3 over the Nook 1st generation (talking about customer experience, not book formats, etc, forget about it for a moment) because it feels better on my hands, reads better because the Pearl Screen (which is a fact, not a perception) and I like the button's layout.

It’s all personal when it comes to device like an ereader. I chose a Nook but I have no doubt I would love a Kindle. I feel they are very comparable.

I prefer the touch screen navigation, I tried both and really liked the touch screen. I found the weight of the K3 to be a negative for me, it actually felt cheap, I am not saying it is cheap just relating my user experience. Pearl screen even with the Nook at version 1.4 was no deal breaker for me, they were both very readable. I like the in store options with Nook, I am a long time B&N shopper and like that tie in. No facts or tech specs just my feelings. I searched for the books I read and found the stores very comparable. I have page turning buttons same as kindle and do not like the navigation buttons.

To me there are only a few differences that really separate them. Battery Life, navigation, weight, format, vendor, and most important book store. Any one or all of those can make the decision for you.

To many fanboys just defend to the death the device they have. I am fully aware of the tradeoffs I made and do not think my choice is right for everyone. However I do tend to react when I see posts that seem to state something about the Nook that I know does not fit my experience.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by mcooke66

I searched for the books I read and found the stores very comparable

To me, this what all people should be looking for instead of focus only on ebook formats and/or hardware; both are relevant but always in the context of what you are going to read. And if the books you read and like are usually available in B&N store your decision makes sense.

[speedlever]

mcooke66,

I'm curious how you've found the TS on the Nook? Do you find it easy to operate or cumbersome? Do you occasionally have to tap multiple times to get it to register a command? I like how you can swipe on the TS to do page turns.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

Sorry for jumping in late on this. With respect, I would disagree that Adobe's DRM "is no less restricted" than Amazon's format. With Kindle books, you have to read them on Kindle readers or use Kindle software on your computer, phone or tablet. In contrast, the vast majority of other dedicated ereaders support Adobe's DRM, and Alkido (and perhaps some other software solutions) will support books using ADE regardless of where they are bought.

Both DRM's are restrictive, and in practice, most Kindle users will never notice their restrictions, but there are some real extra restrictions with the Kindle.

--
Bill

I don't know about Alkido, but you can't, for example, read an e-book bought at B&N on a Sony or Kobo reader. Which means that if you have a Kindle, you don't have access to the almost as large B&N store; if you have a Nook, you don't have access to the slightly larger Kindle store; and if you have a Sony, you don't have access to either of the larger stores - but you can access the much smaller sony store.

Now it is true that you may have access to other epub stores - but compared to B&N and Kindle, those stores are very small, even adding them together. And of course most independent stores offer books in mobi form anyway.

However, I should probably correct my original post to say that you are slightly more restricted with Amazon's drm than with epub. (Although I'm not at all sure that you have access to fewer books).

[mcooke66]

Speedlever

I really prefer it to the buttons. It is not as responsive as say an iPhone, but you must remember it is connected to a very slow screen technology the eink screen. Organizing books is very simple, not perfect but easy to do. It is kind of nice to have the book cover you are reading in color whenever you open the book. I have not had issues with tapping more than once for an action, it happens but no more than any other touch screen I use and usually due to pilot error .

The only drawback to it is the power usage, battery life is impacted by the touch screen compared to other ereader without the fancy interface. Not an issue for me I get 5 days of battery life and charge once a week.

The best feature of the touch screen is page swipe. For me I almost never use the buttons even when holding it one handed, I can swipe with my thumb and I do not have large hands.

Hope that helps, the power of a touch interface was one the selling points of the Nook and I was not disappointed.